My mom used Uber often when we walked the Portuguese route from Porto. There were only a couple of times when she had to use a taxi. Uber was way more affordable than the taxi rides. In Spain we had to use a taxi from our hotel to the bus station in Santiago - Uber was not available.
I did Portuguese route last summer - I had no issues at all using a 6 digit pin in ATM's in Portugal or Spain. I only used ATM's that were tied to big popular banks, during banking hours, just in case there was an issue. Would withdraw the money then walk up to the teller to have them break...
I usually carried 1.5L of water. I had 3 of the store bought .5L plastic bottles, two with water and one with electrolytes and would refill as needed. I never used any of the public potable water fountains, always filled up before leaving the albergue in the morning and would top off in...
I wish I had worried less about time....I was so concerned with making sure I walked X amount of miles per day, I always felt I was in a hurry to keep on schedule. Looking back now I wish I had slowed down a bit, totally enjoyed the moment and know if I had fallen behind I could have easily...
I do not like how my hair feels using bar soap. With my first Camino I brought a 3oz bottle of liquid detergent from home, once that was gone I just used my bar soap or shampoo to wash my clothing. My 2nd Camino I splurged and purchased from Amazon travel size packets of Tide liquid detergent...
I live in the North Dallas area. Did Camino Frances in summer 2019 and Portuguese route summer 2023.
For CF, I flew from DFW to Madrid, took a train from Madrid to Pamplona. Arrived in Pamplona in the afternoon. Stayed the night. Next day we took an afternoon bus to SJPDP, stayed the night...
We took a bus from Santiago to Porto, mainly because there were no transfers required - just a straight shot. Bus stopped at the bus terminal, then we hopped on the train to take us to Sao Bento station (quick 5 minute ride) - very easy to navigate.
My mom and I walked May/June 2023 and stayed in mostly private rooms. We did the literol route from Porto to Caminha, train from Caminha to Valenca then walked central Valenca to Santiago. After our night in Porto, I booked about a day or two ahead.
Porto - Sao Bento Apartments (booking.com...
I booked a day or two ahead - In my opinion on the Portuguese way, when I was doing my research the lodging didn't seem as plentiful and/or convenient as on the Frances way. I prebooked for my peace of mind.
I wore shorts majority of the time for both of my summer caminos. I had one long sleeve that I wore often for sun protection - the sun can be intense and there are some long exposed stretches. I purchased my long sleeve shirt from FreeFly - it was a bamboo material - wicking, temp regulation...
I can't sleep in the wicking material type of clothing. I wore a cotton shirt and Patagonia Baggie shorts. When I arrived at my lodging I would shower, wash clothing and change into whatever I was walking in for the next day to enjoy the evening. When I was ready for bed, I would then change...
I feel the same especially the time out from home responsibilities part. Never felt so free, no worries, no problems etc as I did when I walked. It was a great recharge for my mental health.
I brought a tube of NUUN tabs and a few Liquid IV packets from home. I always had a .5L bottle of my electrolyte mix on me. I also did what a few others did - if I stopped at cafe and it was warm outside I would order an Aquarius.
Someone posted "why would you need them?"...I walked both of...
I did Camino Francis summer 2019 when I turned 50 and did the Portuguese route this past summer. I had some of the same feelings with the second camino on the Portuguese route. I did enjoy the Portuguese route and was glad I did it, but with this second time around it was like the "magic" of...
My mom (77 years old) and I walked end of May/June from Porto to Santiago. We are slow walkers took us 16 days. We did the coastal route to Caminha, took a train to Valencia and then walked Central to Santiago - did not do the Spiritual Varient - I thought it would be too much for my mom...
My mom (76 years old)and I did Portuguese route this past May. We walked out of Porto along the coast to Caminha, then took a train from Caminha to Valencia and continued walking Central route from Valencia to Santiago. My mom was able to do the route without any issues. There were a few...
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